American Dragon: Jake Long Season Three
by Hera Ledro
Summary: In this episode of the third season, Jake is in High School. He has already turned fifteen. Rose is going with he, Spud, and Trixie to high school. Eventually, they uncover something about the Dark Dragon: what is it? Read and find out.
1. Episode 53: Flight of the Phoenix

_**American Dragon: Jake Long**_

_Season Three_

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of the American Dragon: Jake Long concepts or characters, nor do I claim ownership over them. They are copyrights of Disney.

_Chapter 53: Flight of the Phoenix_

Jake, Trixie, Spud, and Rose were waling to their new high school. It had been two months since they'd returned from Hong Kong, and Jake had just turned fifteen-years old. He had a great birthday, but it was his best because Rose had returned with them.

Rose, like Jake, was a young student at their old middle school. But, due to Jake's interference in a wish to destroy all of the Huntsclan, she had been spared, the alternate reality being made for her consequentially forcing her to lose her memory of all the times Jake and her had spent together.

It wasn't long before Jake and Rose had officially become girlfriend and boyfriend; the two had been in love since Grade Eight. With Rose's return, Jake found himself doing better in school, and loving life.

He thought about all the times he and Rose had fought, he the American Dragon and she the Huntsgirl. Remembering the times of hate (though they didn't know each others' secret identities then) just made Rose's return all the sweeter. The fact that they went to high school together didn't take away from the love, either.

"Dang, I am LOVING high school!" Trixie yelled, pumping her fist into the air and grinning madly.

Jake laughed. "Yeah, you're telling me. But man, we've got exams soon. How am I supposed to do all that studying _and_ protect the magical world, all at the same time?"

Rose bent down and kissed Jake on the cheek. "Don't worry, Dragon-boy, I'll help you study. After taking down the Dark Dragon, it should be a piece of cake, right?"

Jake huffed. "I'd rather take the Dark Dragon. Still, it's lucky that you got your dad posted back here."

Spud frowned mockingly. "Whaddaya mean lucky, dude? Now Trixie and I have to watch you to going all kissy-kissy all the time!" He made a mock kissy-kissy face, smooching the air and holding his hands lightly at the side of his head.

Trixie dealt Spud a sharp blow to the back of the head, stopping the teasing. "Oh come on, Spud, like you and Stacey are any better? Dang baby, I see you and her making out with each other everywhere; janitor closets, the back alleyway. Come on, player, get with it!"

Jake and Rose shook their heads and sped up. The two would be arguing all the way to school. They went to their lockers, on opposite sides of the school, and got their Physical Education stuff.

They met in front of the change-rooms, and were forced to stifle the laughs when they saw Brad go into the boy's change-room. With her hand still against her mouth, Rose giggled, "Are you _sure_ that he didn't threaten Rotwood to get past Grade Nine?"

Jake laughed, not bothering to hold them in. He held his sides as his laughter died down; Brad had been wearing a sign on the back of his shirt that had the picture Jake had taken of him in a tutu. That was a particularly memorable trip into the dream realm.

"No, he passed. I don't get why people say there's no such thing as miracles. Alright, I guess this is some kind of freak curse for us, but you feeling me, right?"

The both of them burst out laughing as they went into their respective change-rooms.

Gym class was to be utter hell on that day; Professor Rotwood was substituting for their gym teacher. Jake groaned as he came into the boy's side of the gym, with #88 and #89 following behind, pushing a cart of basketballs. Rotwood began speaking in his trademark high Bulgarian accent.

"Listen up, hoodlums! It is to your own misfortune that your teacher is…away on medical issues. Until further notice, I, Hans Rotwood, shall be your gym teacher." He beckoned to #88 and #89, and the both of them came running. Rotwood began explaining the rules of his new sport, "Rotball," but Jake and Spud weren't listening.

"Man," Jake muttered, "what's Rotwood doing here? I thought they replaced him in middle school!"

"Come on, man," Spud sighed. "He's just filling in for the gym teacher. Why are you so suspicious of him?"

Jake rolled his eyes and looked to the ceiling sarcastically, counting on his fingers. "Oh, let's see, first he tried to expose a Dragon to the world, then he tried to fail me out of school, then he found out I was a Dragon and tried to expose _me_. Oh no, I have no reason to be suspicious, not one!" Jake looked darkly over at Rotwood, who was fumbling clumsily as he tried to bounce a basketball. "Anyway, didn't you see how he hesitated when he said our teacher was away? That sounds pretty suspicious, don't you think? And what about those two?" Jake jerked a thumb at the clumsy #88 and #89. "I thought they were still in middle school."

Spud shrugged. "Beats me, dude; they probably wormed their way with some kind of suck-up junk."

Both of them jumped as Rotwood suddenly shouted, "Roll call!" The weird teacher went down the list, calling all of the names for the boy's class. He paused when he got to Jake's name. "Jake Long?" Rotwood nearly jumped for joy. "Oh, wonderbar, another chance to expose that scaly monstrosity to the entire world!" He rubbed his hands together, muttering to himself incoherently.

On the girl's side of the gym, Rose was staring at Jake. Trixie giggled. "Man, girl, you _really_ dig him, don't'cha?"

Rose cocked an eyebrow. "Really, what gave it away? The kissing, the spending loads of time together, the saving the magical world together, or was it that I made my dad move back here from Hong Kong?"

Trixie jerked her head left and right as she bumped back the volleyball Rose had served. "Mm, mm, no need to get snappy, girl. I'm just saying you REALLY love him; not all that boyfriend-girlfriend junk, I mean the _real thang_."

Rose slammed the ball back in a spectacular spike. The floor-boards shattered under the force of the spike. Trixie was sitting on the ground just behind the small crater. "Ok, I don't get it; you were NEVER in the Huntsclan, but you STILL have that kind of strength? What kind of vitamins you taking? I want some!"

Rose blushed, embarrassed as some of the girls gathered around to marvel at her achievement.

After the long day, the four went home. Jake's head was hurting from the math he'd been forced to take in. "Man, I hate algebra!" he complained.

"So," Trixie asked, "How'd P.E. go for you guys?"

Jake frowned. "Rotwood's back, how do you _think_ it went? He was muttering to himself all class. When he wasn't doing that, he was making up some stupid rule for his 'Rotball' just to get me in trouble! He's back to get me, you guys, I just know it!"

"Well," Rose grinned, "At least you've got Huntsgirl to keep him under wraps."

Jake snorted, laughing derisively. "Rotwood is bent on exposing the whole magical world. If he can't do that, he'll go for me. He thinks that magical creatures can live in peace with humans. You have _no_ idea how much I wish that were true, but do you _actually think_ that humans and magical creatures can live together? Just look at the Huntsclan and the Dark Dragon! Hey, the Dark Ages! That was when the magical creatures were forced into hiding; humans just couldn't get along with them. They hunted Dragons, poached pixies, and burned witches! That doesn't sound like a great relationship to me."

Rose smiled sympathetically. "I know, Jake, but still; Rotwood might have something."

Jake shook his head, clearing it a little. "Anyways, I'm off to Gramps' shop. I've gotta train; you wanna come with?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I need to train too." The both of them said goodbye to Spud and Trixie, and went off into an alleyway.

Jake looked around. "Is the coast clear?" Rose nodded. "Dragon up!" In a burst of blue Chi, Jake transformed into his Dragon form. "Climb on, Rose." She climbed on, and Jake took to the skies, flying straight for Lao Shi's shop.

Not twenty minutes later, the two of them were on their cell phones.

"I'll be home soon, dad," Jake said. "I'm just getting some Dragon training in."

"Don't wait up, Daddy," Rose said. "I'll be home soon; I'm just doing an extracurricular activity." The both of them hung up their phones and rolled their eyes. Lao Shi and Fu Dog came up the steps onto the roof.

"Alright kids, keep it clean," Fu Dog called. "I've got all my biscuits on the girl."

Lao Shi shot Fu a disapproving look before directing his attention to the two young warriors. "Remember, young ones, a victory without honour is not a victory at all."

Rose's voice was menacingly sweet as she picked up her Pu-Dao blade-staff. "I love you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to take it easy on you, hun."

Jake laughed. "What, you think I will? Right, dream on." The two launched themselves at each other, getting into a fierce sparring match.

It was only a few minutes before they talked again. "Come on, hun, you're better than that," Rose chided.

Jake sniggered. "Yeah, but I don't want to actually hurt you now." The two separated and clashed again, Jake blasting a fireball at Rose.

"Please, Jake," she laughed, "I was trained as a Dragon slayer!"

Jake dodged a blow from the Pu-Dao. "Yeah, but you were out of it for like, two or three months."

Rose swiped again. "But I've been training for more than two, so I'm back in the game!" With a tremendous show of force, Rose whacked Jake off to the side with the flat of her staff. Jake pushed himself up, narrowly dodging a swipe from the blade. They returned to combat, and not another word was said till they finished.

Jake's dad came up the steps. "Hey now kids, don't you have a patrol to go on?"

Rose held up a hand to stop the fight, and checked her watch. "Ah! Jake, your dad's right!" She grabbed Jake by the hand and dragged the Dragon down over the rooftops, calling over her shoulder, "Thanks Mr. Long!"

Jake awoke the next day to his father calling, "Come on kids, it's breki-weky time!"

Jake groaned. "Come on, just let me sleep in for once! It's Saturday!" _And stop using those lame rhymes!_ he thought privately.

Jake's mom came in and pulled the pillow off of his head. "Come on, Jake, your grandfather is downstairs; he needs to talk to us."

Jake yawned. "Aw man…fine, just let me get dressed. He quickly threw on his clothes and gelled his hair. He arrived downstairs, completely unaware that he only had white socks on and no shoes.

He yawned loudly and obviously. "Alright Gramps, what's the big emergency?"

Lao Shi frowned disapprovingly. "I am here to discuss our encounter with the Dark Dragon over the summer."

Jake's dad turned to look at Lao Shi from the stove. "What about it; didn't we kick his keister good?"

"Yes," Lao Shi said, "But it is not of him that I am here to discuss. It is Chang." He turned and looked significantly at Jake. "The Dragon Council has searched the mountains and surrounding countryside and cities for the past few months, now. I have been helping them several times now, which is why your Dragon training has been so slow lately."

"So why wasn't I there?" Jake asked indignantly. "Why didn't you call me out?"

"Because you are a child, and still in school. You are only fifteen, young Dragon, and we would not wish to deter you too much from your studies. As Haley so rightly said those months ago, being the American Dragon is not an easy job, and we wouldn't want to take you away from your duties."

Jake brushed that off. "Please, business has been slow. Pandarus has only attacked once, and Brocamus hasn't had any trouble with the gold lately."

"I'm not surprised. After your fight with the Dark Dragon, and with the absence of the Huntsclan, things will seem to be fairly slow. Even so, with Chang on the loose, we cannot let our guard down."

Jake's sister, Haley, piped up here. "I threw her out of the Temple, so there's no way she could've been sucked into the vortex." She looked at Lao Shi thoughtfully before adding, "That net that I caught her up with _was_ Sphinx hair, right? She wouldn't have been able to escape with that on her."

Lao Shi nodded. "Yes, but that strange monkey also escaped. He could have freed her. They are both on the loose at this very moment. With them at large, the Dark Dragon could be brought back, more powerful than ever."

Fu Dog jumped up on Susan's lap, and looked at Jake seriously. "The thing is, kid, that Resurrection Spell isn't just a Resurrection Spell; it's also a Relocation Spell; if the person being brought back isn't dead, it makes them more powerful. Needless to say, it's kind of pointless for everyday use, but if they manage to get all the runes and ingredients again –"

Jake finished Fu's sentence ominously: "Then they could bring the Dark Dragon back…"

Lao Shi nodded gravely. "Indeed. We must be cautious; Chang needs the blood of a Dragon to bring them back. Usually, it is the Dragon in the country that is assigned the duty of protecting the magical world within that country that will give the person being brought back by the spell more power, but any Dragon will do. If she is in Brazil, or Serbia, or any other country, and the Dragon isn't ready, she could bring him back from that dimension."

Jake squinted and rubbed his forehead. "Aw man, now my head hurts…Why'd you have to tell us this in the morning?"

"Eh, sorry kid," Fu said, "but the Dragon Council ordered us to tell you this morning."

"Hold on Fu, you said that the spell makes people who _haven't_ died more powerful. Does that mean we didn't kill the Dark Dragon last time?"

"That's right, kid."

"What is he, immortal?" Jake exclaimed, slapping his head.

The expression on Fu's face was serious as he explained. "Well, kid, Dragons like you and Gramps don't have lives as short as humans do. When you turn 19, you get to choose between living the full life of a Dragon, or the life of a human. Magic and all that, you know."

"Still, Dragons can be slain by weapons, right? The Huntsclan –"

"The Huntsclan used special weapons," Lao Shi interrupted. "Weapons designed specifically for slaying Dragons. A Dragon's scales cannot be pierced unless the weapon is running against the scales, the weapon hits behind the Dragon's left ear, or it impales the underbelly of the Dragon. There are also certain modified energies that can bypass the scales of the Dragon and damage the insides."

"So what, we can't be hurt by being crushed? Because I remember –"

"Yes, young one, it can. The scales are impenetrable, but flexible. You will remember that, before your graduation, you were cut by a crane. The crane pulled at the flaps of your scales, it didn't go through the scales themselves."

Jake sighed exasperatedly. "So how do we get this guy then? No matter what we do, he comes back!"

"We wait, Jake," Lao Shi said. The old man seemed to have resigned himself to the idea.

"But if the Dark Drag lives as long as a normal Dragon, that could take more than a thousand years!"

"But if we keep banishing him," Jake's father said, "he'll never be able to get back."

"Sorry Pops," Fu said. "That spell can bring people back from different dimensions."

Jake sighed and walked over to the window. What would they be able to do? "Well," Jake said quietly, "We'll worry about this later. This isn't the thing we should rush into, we've gotta plan this."

Lao Shi smiled and patted Jake on the shoulder. "Yes, you are learning, young Dragon. He who runs into battle headfirst is often the first to lose his head."

Jake threw on his jacket. "I'm going to head off and get Trixie, Spud, and Rose. We're gonna hang for a bit, then I'll be back home for supper, 'kay?"

Jake was walking out of the door when his mother called. "Jake, don't you think you need your shoes?" Jake looked at the white socks on his feet and slapped himself in the face.

Rose dragged Jake by the jacket down Magus Bazaar. Jake was struggling to keep up, having to take longer paces to compensate for his legs being shorter than Rose's. "Hey, Rose, hold on!"

"No, Jake," Rose said sternly. "If what you said is true, we've got to do what we can; we need to start by getting information."

"Come on," Jake groaned, "Can't we just chill for a while? Even Gramps agrees with me!"

"Well it's a good thing I'm not your grandfather then. We had a hard enough time taking the Dark Dragon down last time, we don't need another hassle. We need to find where these ingredients for the spell can be found, and we have to be able to keep them out of Chang's claws at ANY cost."

"Rose, be reasonable. Do you have any idea how many places sell those things in America, let alone the world? It's easier just to wait for the Dark Dragon to come back and beat him again!"

"But what if we can't beat him, Jake? What if he comes back even more powerful, like the spell is supposed to do, and he becomes unstoppable?"

Jake sighed, almost tripping over a rock jutting out of the ground. "Fine, but where do we start?"

"How 'bout Veronica's place? She always has a lot of information about magical ingredients for spells and potions."

"Well, you can stop dragging me; she's right there." Jake pointed to a cart just in front of them. Set up against the wall was a small stand filled with exotic magical ingredients. Rose wheeled and pulled Jake, stumbling and tripping, towards the cart and stand.

The Arachne looked at them curiously, but with a happy smile. "Hey Jake, what can I do for you? Is Fu around?" Veronica's voice was as smooth and fluid as the silk she spun.

"Nah, he's back at the shop with Gramps," Jake said dismissively. "Veronica, do you know anything about where we can get ingredients for a Resurrection Spell?"

Veronica kept the pleasing look on her face, but she squirmed a little. "Why do you need to know that?"

"Because," Rose said, "We're trying to keep the Dark Dragon from coming back. We need to know where all the phoenix feathers and hydra scales are kept, so we can protect them."

"Well," Veronica said thoughtfully, "I know that hydra scales are pretty common; there's a bit of a shortage now, though. Phoenix feathers are the really hard ones to get; at least, the ones in the right condition for use in a spell, anyways."

Jake frowned, nonplussed. "Whaddaya mean?"

"Well," Veronica said in a matter-of-factly tone, "Phoenix feathers can only be used in a resurrection spell if they are in good condition. Phoenixes are reborn as soon as they die, and their feathers are burnt as they're reborn; it's the feathers that bring them back to life. But, once they are used up like that, they are no good for anything except a fancy quill; the resurrecting properties will have already been used up."

"So why is it so hard to find one? Phoenixes must molt all the time."

"Actually, Jake," Rose said, "Phoenixes only molt once every thirty or so years, kind of like Dragons only molt once every ten."

"So to get a good feather, you'd have to pick it right off of the bird?"

"Seems like it."

"Well," Veronica interjected, "Not many places have phoenix feathers, because of this, and it's almost impossible to pick one off of a phoenix; they are very defensive and protective of their young."

"But," Jake reasoned, "Phoenixes are smart like Dragons. Maybe if we explained to them why they'd have to protect their feathers more…aw man, now my head hurts." Jake rubbed his temples as a wave of shock crossed Rose's face.

"Jake! What about #88 and #89? What if they know how to bring back the Huntsman?"

Jake laughed. "Rose, please, those two aren't even smart enough to tie their shoes, let alone bring back the Huntsman. You're worrying too much." He turned to Veronica and waved, pulling Rose back to the exit of Magus Bazaar. "Thanks Veronica!" She waved back and started serving a troll. Jake transformed back into a Dragon and flew Rose home. She needed rest, he could handle today's patrol.

He went off to Wall Street first; if anything was happening, chances were it was going to happen there. Jake wasn't too far off from this assumption either.

He hadn't been flying for five minutes down Wall Street when he saw Pandarus talking to # 88 and #89. Jake frowned and landed on the top of a nearby building. He leaned against the railing, straining his ears to hear what it was they were saying.

"Now hold up," Jake heard #88 say, "you're telling me that if we get some hydra scales, a phoenix feather, and do some kind of hocus-pocus rhyme, we can bring back the Huntsclan?"

"Yes, you imbecile," Pandarus growled. "That's what I've been trying to tell you for the last fifteen minutes!"

"Well," #89 said suspiciously, "What's wrong with us? Why can't we do your job?"

"Because," Pandarus scoffed, "You two are hardly the best Dragon-slayers. I need an expert, not a pair of babbling bumbling baboons, to kill this Dragon." Pandarus paused, and said, "I'll be right back; I have some business to take care of."

Jake looked over the edge and saw Pandarus vanish in a puff of smoke. "Aw man," he groaned. "Rose was right; they're going to try to bring back the Huntsclan! I've gotta warn everybody!"

"Not in this lifetime, Dragon." Jake turned around, only to be blasted full in the chest by Pandarus' magic. He shot off the edge of the rooftop, the spell causing him to revert back into his human form. He dangled there, hanging onto the edge with both of his hands.

Jake was pulling himself up when Pandarus came and stamped on his left hand. Jake cried out and let go, looking down at the thirty-story drop below.

"It looks like we have a spy," Pandarus mocked. "Hmm, I wonder what you'll look like when you've fallen thirty stories, plastered to the pavement."

"Like you'll find out," Jake said through gritted teeth. His grip was slipping.

"Oh here, let me help you," Pandarus said. He placed his foot on Jake's hand again and pushed down. With a cry of pain, Jake fell from the roof. Three-quarters of the way down, he regained his senses and transformed, redirecting his flight and shooting up to the rooftop.

Jake massaged his fingers as he glared at Pandarus. "Hmm, what do you think: will getting your butt royally kicked again teach you anything?"

Pandarus shot a spell at Jake. Jake dodged right and head-butted Pandarus across the roof. "A talent-less weakling like you has no chance of beating me," Pandarus gritted. He fired another curse, only to be rebounded by a whack from Jake's tail. Pandarus narrowly dodged it, and he found himself facing a fireball as he tried to regain his balance. The blast knocked him off the edge. Jake wasted no time, he flew off into the afternoon, racing back to the shop so he could relate the entire story to Lao Shi.

"Gramps!" Jake yelled, slamming the electronics shop door behind him. "Hey gramps!" Jake heard a loud _bong_ from the back room, and a string of Chinese flowed past the curtains.

"Aiyah!" the old man yelled. "Jake, what is the meaning of this?" Lao Shi pushed the curtains aside irritably, rubbing the back of his head.

Jake wasted no time. "It's Pandarus; he's trying to bring back the Huntsclan!"

Suddenly, Lao Shi turned serious. "Are you sure Jake?" When he received a nod in response, he sighed deeply. "I see. Explain, young Dragon." Jake quickly went over the entire conversation that he'd overheard. When he was done, Lao Shi's face had turned grave. "Jake, we must stop him at all costs. If he brings back the Huntsman, let alone the entire Huntsclan, we will be in serious trouble!"

"Don't worry Gramps, Veronica's our inside agent. She'll tell us if anything goes on."

"Very well, but we must keep on top of this. Don't let your guard down, Jake, and keep a close eye on #88 and #89." Jake bowed in response. What was it that Pandarus wanted to Huntsman for?


	2. Episode 54: Dragon's Heart

Episode 54: Dragon's Heart

_Episode 54: Dragon's Heart_

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**American Dragon: Jake Long**_**. **_**American Dragon: Jake Long**_** is copyrighted by Disney America, as well as all characters hereafter. This excludes characters that are newly introduced within this version of the third season. Characters that are newly introduced are copyrights of Hera Ledro.**

**In other words…IF THEY WEREN'T FROM ANY DISNEY SHOWS, THEY ARE MINE!**

Also, please note that this story is a lot longer than it looks. uses larger pages than Microsoft Word, so it makes the story seem shorter.

**Author's Note**

I apologise for the delay. University exam studying plus essays plus full-time job-hunting equals hell. But, here it is!

_Story_

"Ha! Take that you dirty green slime-balls!" Spud cried. Jake rolled his eyes. Spud was caught up in the Monster Terminator II again.

"High score is mine this ti-NO!" Spud cried and let go of the controls. His player had just been shot by a green ball of slime, taking away his last point of life. The score flashed at 9,678,475 as Spud bashed his head on the game box; he hadn't even been 300 points away from the top score!

Jake pulled his friend along comfortingly. "Hey, chill man, you'll get it next time."

"It's always that last little slime monster! That one-eyed freak is gonna pay!" Spud shook his fist in the air, and shot the game a glare. "Oh yes, my nemesis, you will die!"

Jake shook his head amusedly and pulled Spud back out into the mall. They headed to the food court, where they found Rose and Trixie sitting and chewing on some poutine. Jake sat down beside Rose and grabbed a fry. Spud sat opposite to him and glared at the poutine like it was something that had done him wrong.

"Yo Spud, you _still_ tripping over that video game?" Trixie asked.

Spud shot her a glare. "Yes, I am, and I will continue to 'trip' until I beat the high score!"

"Spud, it's just a game," Rose said dismissively. "You know, it would probably be easier to beat if you and Jake just teamed up."

Jake shook his head vigorously. "No way, I fly solo. Ain't nobody gonna beat that game with me."

Spud looked at Jake. "Come on man, just once?"

Jake folded his arms and shook his head. "No way, Spud. If you want to really beat something, you've got to do it yourself. No help, no hurt."

Spud sighed and placed his head in his arms. He muttered something which Jake couldn't make out. He looked at Trixie for an explanation, cocking his eyebrow.

"He says your grandkids are gonna be cursed by the slime monster."

Rose looked over Spud's shoulder. "Forget our grandchildren," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "We've got a slime monster on our tails right now."

Jake followed her gaze and saw Brad Morton walking up to them. Waving his friends over, he said, "Hey guys, look, its Jake. Why the long face, Long." He slapped his thigh and broke out in laughter. "Haha! Long face…that's a good one, right guys?" His group obediently laughed and pointed at Jake.

Jake snorted. "Please Brad, I've met first graders who could shoot better than that." Trixie covered her mouth, laughing out loud.

Brad frowned and looked at Rose. "Hey Ros-alicious, why you hanging out with these chumps? Come and hang with the Bradster's posse, this is where it's happening." He stood up straight and pulled back his hair, letting it fall back into place. He chuckled and jerked his thumb at Spud. "Look at this loser. What do you get from hanging out with this geek squad?"

Jake pushed back his chair so hard that it fell to the floor. He walked right up to Brad and pushed him roughly. "Yo, nobody disses Spud, got that hot-shot?"

Brad rolled up his sleeves threateningly. "Oh, you want a piece of the Bradster? Come and get some then!" He aimed a punch at Jake, who grabbed his wrist easily.

_Whoa,_ Jake thought, _déjà vous_. He remembered the time his evil doppelganger had done the same thing and sent Brad flying. He looked around. "Let's take this outside, fool," Jake growled. "That way, there ain't gonna be any chairs or tables to break your fall when I slam you."

Brad stared Jake straight in the eyes. "Anytime, any place, loser."

Jake stared back with equal loathing, and it was all he could do to keep from spitting in Brad's face. "Back alley, right now."

Rose grabbed hold of Jake's arm as the two fighters turned to leave. "Jake, stop, don't bother. He's not even worth it."

Jake jerked his arm away from Rose. "No, Rose, I've had it with him. Always pushing around people who are smaller, weaker, or just anybody. Not anymore."

Rose looked concerned. "Then let me help." Leaning in close to his ear, she said, "He looks a lot stronger than you when you're human."

Brad laughed and pointed at Jake. "Look you guys, he's gonna have his girlfriend fight me for him! Hahahaha!" Jake fumed and walked out the door and into the alleyway, leaving Rose behind.

When Jake got to the alleyway, he turned around and saw Brad standing there, ready for a fight. Brad cracked his knuckled threateningly, and gave Jake an evil look. "Oh," he said, "I am going to enjoy giving you a pounding, Long."

Jake cracked his neck and knuckles. "Bring it fool. You ain't pounding nobody." With that, the two ran at each other and fought. While Brad used crude fist-fighting, obviously having no prior experience, Jake fought with more refined martial arts taught to him by his grandpa. Though he didn't say it out loud, he was surprised how naturally it was coming to him now. He was able to anticipate almost every move of Brad's, and blocked or dodged a lot of them.

And then there were those shots that only someone as desperate as a losing jock would take. Brad knew he was losing the fight, so he went to knee Jake in the groin. Jake had sidestepped, taking the blow in his left ribs. After Jake doubled over in pain, Brad threw an uppercut that caught Jake in the eye, sending him across the pavement and crashing into a garbage can.

Jake pushed himself up and shook his head clear. When he opened his eyes, he saw Brad hightailing it out of the alley. Jake shot up, but quickly dropped to one knee, clutching his ribs. He was lucky; his ribs weren't broken, but his side was badly bruised. He felt the back of his jacket. It had been torn to shreds when he'd flown across the pavement.

Jake stood up and grunted, walking out of the alley. Rose and the others were running down the sidewalk to meet up with him.

"Jake!" Rose called. "We saw Brad running and…Jake! What happened?"

"Nothing," he grunted. He couldn't look Rose in the eyes, so he turned and started walking back home. Trixie was a little more voluble and physical that Rose, though.

She stepped right in front of Jake and stopped him. "Now hold on a minute there, Jakey, let's have a look at you." She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up straight, scrunching up her face when she saw his black eye. Jake turned away, but Rose came by and made to give him a hug. As soon as she touched his ribs, though, he made a small cry of pain, and pulled away. Spud came up behind him and held him back, saying nothing as Trixie rolled up Jake's shirt (despite Jake's protests).

Trixie ran her finger along Jake's bruise. It covered five inches (in diameter) of his left side, and was a sickly blue-purple colour. Jake pulled away and transformed into a Dragon, and soared home, not even turning to say goodbye.

Rose stared after Jake, sighing deeply. "I'm gonna head home too, you guys. My parents are gonna be ticked, and I'm going to my brother's soccer practice."

Trixie looked at Rose in the eyes. She knew that Rose was upset, and that she needed to be left alone. "Alright girl," Trixie sighed, "We'll see you later. Take it easy, y'hear?"

Rose nodded and set off for the subway. When she took her seat on the train, she found herself staring out the window, thinking to herself. _Why won't Jake let me fight with him? We go on enough patrols, but whenever we find something, he always keeps me behind. At first, I thought that it was because he wanted to keep me safe, but now I think it's just one of those macho-guy things._ She huffed and blew one of her golden bangs out of her face. _What is it with guys?_

It wasn't too long before Rose got home. She walked up to her step and found the door unlocked. Suspicious, Rose walked in cautiously, and found the police inside her living room, inspecting everything.

She wasn't like most people; she wasn't intimidated by the authority figures. That, at least, was one thing that her alternate life as a Huntsclan member had given her. "What's going on here?" she asked boldly.

The police turned around and saw her. One of them, who she recognized immediately as Brad's father, walked up to her and asked her, "You're Rose, right? The young girl who lives here?"

"Yes," she replied warily. She knew how alike Brad and his father were, and she had to be careful with what she said.

Her expectations were not disappointed; the officer was as blunt and insensitive as his son. "Rose, your parents have been kidnapped. We found this note on the table. Any idea what it means?"

He handed her a piece of paper, which she looked over. It read:

_Huntsgirl,_

_Alright, here's the deal. We have your parents here with us. You bring us the Dragon, we give you back your parents. And if you bring the police, you can kiss your family goodbye, baby. You know where we hang._

_Take that,_

_Huntsclan #88_

_Huntsclan #89_

Rose gasped and collapsed into a chair. Immediately, Officer Morton began pressing her for answers. "Who're numbers eighty-eight and eighty-nine? What is the Dragon, some kind of code or jewel?"

Rose was dazed, but she knew what had to be done. She knew she couldn't tell Morton about the Huntsclan, much less Jake. Swiftly, she got up from the chair and ran upstairs to see her brother. She found her twin crying on his bed, a box of tissues nearby.

She sat down beside him and patted his back. "Hey, don't worry, they'll be fine," she consoled. Her brother said nothing, and only kept crying. "Bern," she continued, looking outside the window, "I'm gonna go look some stuff up, see what I can find out about these kidnappers." Bernard. That was the name her parents had given him. They'd always liked that name, and it was a type of flower, too. Her mother _was_ a florist, so she had a natural affinity for flowers.

Bernard sat up and looked at his cousin straight in they eye. His brown eyes were glassed over with tears, and the normally-pale face was beet red. "But what can you find that the police can't?"

"I don't know," Rose lied. "But I can't stay here and do nothing. Look." She stared her brother down, making him shrink. "You stay here. Make sure that nobody but the police gets in. Keep the doors locked; I have a key." She stood up. "I'm going to go see an old friend. I'll call in the verdict, so make sure that you can get to the phone. My cell phone is on, so call me if anything weird happens." Her brother nodded. Despite the fact that he was only a few minutes older than her, he had always looked up to her.

Rose turned on her heel and went into her room. She was lucky that there was a fire escape outside her window. She quickly got dressed into her patrol outfit and left through the window, where she climbed the ladder to the roof. After getting her bearings, she headed off towards Jake's place, using the Pu Dao she kept on the roof as a launching pole when she needed to. _I've got to get to Jake._

Jake collapsed on his bed, making sure to land on his right side so that he didn't hurt the swollen left side. He groaned as he took out a mirror and looked at his face. He had a real shiner; his black eye was a big one.

He sat up and took off his torn jacket, throwing it in the garbage. His parents had tried to figure out what had happened, but he just shrugged them off. Thankfully, but rather oddly, it was his father that came to his defence, stopping Susan from going after Jake. He could tell that Jake's pride was hurt the most, not his body.

Jake flopped on his bed and yelled into the pillow. _How could I be so stupid?_ Jake thought, raging at himself. _How could I let him get away like that?_ It wasn't long before the phone rang. Being as angry as he was, Jake let it ring, thinking, _Who gives a care? I'm not talking to anyone right now_.

There was a knock on his door not two minutes later, and his mother came in. "Jake," she mumbled, "There's been some bad news."

"What, Brad got run over by an eighteen-wheeler?" he replied sarcastically.

"No, it's Rose." Jake shot upright, forgetting all injury. "Her parents have been taken, and she needs you to get Grandpa and Fu Dog. She's already going to Spud and Trixie's, and said to meet her in Central Park."

Without a second thought, Jake transformed into a Dragon and shot out the window. He needed to get Lao Shi and Fu Dog, and be at Central Park as soon as possible.

It didn't take him five minutes to get to Lao Shi's shop. He shot into the alleyway and went through the back door, scaring Fu Dog. The Shar pei had been looking over a magazine, and yelped, putting it away hastily. "Kid! Uh, what are you doing here?" He asked nervously.

"Where's gramps, Fu?" Jake asked, walking into the back room.

"He just went upstairs to the roof a second ago. You must have just missed him." He noticed a corner of his magazine poking out from under the shelf and shoved it in further, hiding I completely from view.

"Quick," Jake said, heading for the door, "Get him, and meet me at Central Park. We don't have time to talk about it," he yelled, raising a hand to forestall the dog's questions. "Just do it." He ran out the back door and shot off towards Central Park, speeding above the rooftops.

It wasn't long after he arrived at the lush park that Rose and the others came. Spud, Rose, and Trixie were the first to arrive, quickly followed by Lao Shi (Fu riding on his back and holding on for dear life).

Jake transformed back into a human and ran up to Rose, hugging her and holding her by the arms. "Rose, what happened?"

"It's #88 and #89, they've taken my parents." She showed Jake the letter. He read it over speedily and crumpled it up, throwing it in the air and burning it to a crisp.

"Those jerks," he gritted. "Where are they?"

"I think they're at the Huntsclan Academy. That's the only place that they could have taken them."

"It would not be wise to rush in, young ones," Lao Shi advised, reverting to his human form. "We must work out a plan." He grinned wolfishly. "I have an idea. Rose, do you remember where the New York Huntsclan Lair is?"

"Yeah," she said, nonplussed. "It's in the subway, but why would that…oh!"

Lao Shi's smile grew wider. "Alright young ones, listen carefully. Here's what we'll do." The group huddled together and listened as Lao Shi explained his plan.

#88 and #89 paced in front of Rose's parents, bound and gagged inside one of the jail cells.

"Man!" #88 exclaimed. "What is taking her so long? It's been six hours since we left that note!"

"Relax, human," a cold voice called from the shadows. "She will come. And, if she wants to see her parents again, she will bring the American Dragon." Out of the shadows stepped a purple Dragon, holding a glowing staff and grinning maniacally. On her shoulder sat a monkey, dressed in a bright yellow track suit.

#88 poked the Dragon in the chest. "Look here, _Chang_, you told us that she'd be here right away! She's late! How dare you—AH!" In a split second, he was on the ground, staring down the length of the glowing staff.

"You will be silent, human," Chang hissed. "If you want your gold, you will wait until Rose comes. And if she brings the American Dragon, we will both have what we want."

"Okay, okay," #88 said nervously. "I got it! You're the boss!" Chang withdrew her staff, but not before giving the boy a look of disgust.

"I'm the boss!" a voice yelled through the roof. Suddenly, the ceiling had a great hole burnt through it, and Jake shot into the academy, followed by Rose and Lao Shi (comically ridden by Spud, Trixie, and Fu Dog).

Lao Shi landed on the ground, and stared at his riders. "Get off, you three," he hissed. "I am not a pony ride!" He shook the length of his body and sent the three careening onto the floor.

"We've gotta do that more," Spud said, holding his head and grinning madly. "That was **awesome!**"

Meanwhile, Jake and Rose were staring down Chang, #88, and #89. "Chang, baby," Jake appraised. "Looking hideous, as usual."

"Your tongue is loose, Jake. I will tighten it for you!" Chang blasted a ball of fire at Jake, simultaneously shooting a blast of energy from her staff at Rose. Jake and Rose parted and, with Lao Shi rushing in alongside them, began their assault on Chang.

"Yo gramps," Jake grunted, "leave her to me! You guys get Rose's parents. I'll take care of Chang." Without waiting for a reply, he shot after Chang, fighting tooth and nail with the elder Dragon.

"Jake, wait!" Lao Shi placed a claw on her shoulder and shook his head. "Rose, let him fight. There is a demon that he needs to vanquish." Rose looked pleadingly at Lao Shi, but he only shook his head again. She sighed and began to cut the hinges on the prison door, while Lao Shi worked on the multitude of locks on the other side.

Meanwhile, Spud and Trixie were fighting #88 and #89. Despite the training that the two Huntsclan flunkies were supposed to have had, they were powerless against the magical grenades that were being thrown by the two humans. The bright yellow grenades were only the size of a pill, and made an explosion as big as a tightly-filled water balloon.

But neither Spud nor Trixie were watching their bags. While they were preoccupied with #88 and #89, Bananas B was ruffling through them, searching for something. _Come on, yo_, the monkey thought desperately. _Where's the goods?_ He searched through both bags, tearing them inside out before he resigned. There was nothing to be found in them except for books, paper, and pencil!

He shot a look at Chang, who had been fighting Jake. With a quick shake of his head, Bananas rushed over to his master, setting himself off to the side.

Jake blasted another fireball at Chang, only to have it deflected back at him by her staff. He yelled in pain as it struck his bruised side, and he fell to the ground. He made to get up, but found himself looking down the length of Chang's staff, an evil grin on her face.

"I may not have found what I came for, whelp," she said maniacally, "But at least I will be rid of you!" She drew back her staff, ready to spike Jake, when a blast of green energy sent her flying.

"Don't even think about it!" Rose yelled. She sent another series of blasts at Chang, who deflected them all.

"Bah!" Chang scoffed. "I don't have time for this. We shall meet again." With that, she grabbed one of the Huntsclan's staves and teleported, leaving a burn mark where the green energy had surrounded her.

Rose set aside her staff and walked over to Jake, helping him up. As soon as he'd reverted back into human form, she slapped him so hard across the face that he fell back down.

"Ow!" he cried. "What did you do that for?!"

"Because you were being an idiot, just like you were with Brad. You have friends so that they can help you, Jake, stop doing everything alone!"

Lao Shi just smiled as his grandson looked about, bewildered. "But, you needed to get your parents back!"

"And, if you hadn't been so stubborn and hard-headed, we would have beaten Chang for good! But no! Instead, you fight her alone, have us risk our necks, and then end up letting her go!"

"It's not like I gave her the staff!" Jake muttered indignantly.

Rose was about to yell again when Lao Shi came up and put a hand on her shoulder. Looking at Jake, he said, "What Rose means to say, Jake, is that if you had thought ahead and not been so rash, we would have defeated Chang. If we had fought her together, and defeated her, Rose's parents would have been safe anyways, **and** we would have been able to defeat one of the greatest threats to mankind." He smiled at his grandson, who looked absolutely stricken with guilt. "You are still learning, Jake. Don't be too hard on yourself. Rose is only upset because you put yourself at risk, rather than allowing us to help you. We have her parents, safe and sound, and we won the fight. #88 and #89 will be sent to the magical prison on the island, and Chang will not interfere with us for a long time, now that we know she is alive."

"Let's just get out of here," Rose said sourly. She went and grabbed her parents, who had fainted at the sight of Lao Shi the Dragon. She tapped her staff on the ground and, in a flash, they all returned to Central Park.

Jake landed with a soft thud on the grass and looked around. Rose and Lao Shi had wasted no time. Rose had placed her parents on Lao Shi's back, mounted him, and flew off towards her home.

Jake sighed and got up. Spud came over and patted his back. "Ah, don't worry dude. She'll be over it by tomorrow, and we got her parents back. We'll go and grab #88 and #89 after Rose gets her parents back home."

"Alright," Jake said, resigned. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that, he started his flight back home.

The next morning, Jake found himself at the mall again. He sat in the food court, stirring his coffee surly-like when a voice rang out, "Mind if I take a seat?"

Jake looked up and saw Rose, holding her own coffee. He silently shifted over and returned to his coffee. They sat in silence for a few moments before Jake spoke up.

"Look, Rose, about yesterday…I'm sorry. I just didn't want to see you get hurt."

Rose held up her hand, forestalling any further explanation. "Jake, I'm sorry that I blew up at you, but you've got to trust me. I'm not a freaky-ex-dragon-slayer for nothing, you know. You don't have to worry about me. I'll always be right there." She gave him a small kiss on the cheek and drew back, smiling. "Besides, if you do all the fighting, I'm going to get fat and lazy."

Jake chuckled slightly before becoming surly again. "But Chang…she could have killed you."

"Jake, that's why we fight **together**, and not by ourselves. Remember, we beat the Dark Dragon by working together, not on our own."

Jake nodded, happy again. "Alright, I'll fight with you next time. It's a good thing that she left when she did, or we would have taken her down."

Rose giggled. "Yeah, nobody's a match for the American Dragon and his girlfriend."

Jake put his arm around Rose and pulled her close. "You mean Rose and her boyfriend." The two hugged and started off for the subway, glad to be on the same page again.

**Author's Note**

Yeah, I know, REALLY cheesy ending. But I had to cut it off somehow, and make it seem SOMEWHAT like an episode.

Just remember people, reviews are the life's blood of us writers. REVIEW ME! OBEY!

Sincerely,

Hera Ledro: The Eternal Dragonic Allsie


	3. Episode 55: Phantom Menace TEASER

Episode 55: Phantom Menace

_Episode 55: Phantom Menace_

_American Dragon: Jake Long/Danny Phantom _Crossover

OUTLINE

_Lesson to be Learned – Work together_

Opening Scene

After "Phantom Planet"

Danny and the gang head to New York, as there have been sightings of ghosts there

Unfolding

Lao Shi has sent for Danny, under the impression that he is an experienced ghost-hunter, albeit part-ghost himself

A horde of goblins attack The Scoop

Trixie, Spud, Sam, and Tucker meet Danny and Jake at school

Danny doesn't have too much trouble getting on Rotwood's bad side, as he and Jake are late for class

But then! GHOST ENCOUNTER!


	4. Episode 55: The Phantom Menace Story

Episode 55: Phantom Menace

_Episode 55: Phantom Menace_

DISCLAIMER: I do not own ANY characters from _American Dragon: Jake Long_ NOR _Danny Phantom_. Doesn't mean I can't dream, though.

**Jake**: Finally, you let me get a word in.

**Hera Ledro**: Well, you've never really talked before…But what did you want to say?

**Jake**: I just think you went way too far last episode, man. Rose slapped me!

**Rose**: Well, it _did_ sate my old hunts-instinct

**Hera Ledro**: And let's face it, Jake, you deserved it. You've gotta let your girl in, man! When will we guys learn?

**Spud**: …You're a guy?

**Hera Ledro**: YES!

**Spud**: But…your name has "Hera" in it…

**Hera Ledro**: That's because it's my name in an Allsie tongue! If you want a translation, it means "Leader of the Heroes."

**Jake**: What? Yo, that's seriously whacked up.

**Hera Ledro**: Alright, enough with this randomness…ON TO THE EPISODE!

* * *

A gleaming silver vehicle shot through the air, white strips and lights glowing on it. In the front of the vehicle, sitting behind a darkened windshield, were three kids: Danny Fenton and Sam Manson in the pilot's seats, and Tucker Foley leaning against a wall, inspecting his PDA.

"So," Sam said idly, putting her feet on the dashboard, "why are we going to New York again? I'm still having a little issue believing that there's such a thing as Dragons, so run it by me."

"Dragons don't exist," Tucker scoffed from the back, not even looking up from his gadget. "Magic's not real; it's all a load of hooey."

Danny didn't take his eyes off the sky as he replied. "Yeah, that's what you said about ghosts last year, Tucker, and you're best friend is a half ghost. What's so hard to believe about magic?"

"Ghosts are science," Tucker said, slightly offended. He walked up between Sam and Danny and leaned against the dash, pushing Sam's boots off. "Everything there is science. Magic just…isn't."

Danny cocked an eyebrow. "Maybe it is, Tucker. Ghosts aren't exactly logical, but they're real."

Tucker shrugged. "I won't believe it till I see it."

"Anyways!" Sam interjected, glaring hotly at Tucker. "Getting back on-topic, why are we going there?"

"Because a Dragon there has reported sightings of ghosts," Danny said simply. "And something about them seems familiar, but I can't finger it."

"Maybe the fire-breathing snakes will give us a hint."

Tucker cringed at his friends' outburst. "Shut up, Tucker!

* * *

Jake sat down hard on his sofa at home. "Man, Pandarus has bee getting real nasty lately." He rubbed a bruised shoulder reflectively, staring at the ceiling. "What is he up to?"

"Ah, Jake." Jake turned to see his grandfather walk in from the dining room.

"What's up, Gramps?" Jake asked.

"You've noticed strange things lately, haven't you." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, so?" Jake said. "Pandarus is just working harder than usual. Well, I guess I should say that he's working, since he never actually works, but—"

Lao Shi silenced him with a raised hand. "Enough, Jake. I have suspicions that Pandarus is working with a ghost to a greater goal."

"Ok," Jake said, shrugging, "so we just kick the ghost's butt."

"It is not that simple, young Dragon. We cannot harm ghosts. They can turn intangible, and many have unique powers that cannot be combated by magical means." He sighed. "I have sent for help in this matter. I have spoken with the Dragon Council, and they agree that it was the best thing to do. Daniel Fenton will be staying here for a little while, and going to school with you."

"Say what?" Jake spluttered, shooting up. "Yo, do you mean that ghost-kid? The one who saved the world a few months ago?"

Lao Shi nodded. "The very same. We are to meet him at my shop, and he should be there within the hour."

The two left the door, with Lao Shi tempted to stuff tissue in his ears, to keep Jake from blathering on about Danny Phantom.

* * *

"He's awesome, gramps!" Spud said as they walked into the shop. "Yo Jake, you should've called us earlier!"

"Hey yo gramps," Trixie said, looking like she was about to jump out of her skin. "Are you serious? The Ghost-boy is coming HERE?" She made an uncharacteristic hop-skip, earning raised eyebrows all around. "What? He's cute!"

Jake shook his head. "I still can't believe it, Danny Phantom is coming **here!**"

"Aiyah!" Lao Shi exploded, "Would you be quiet with the 'Danny Phantom!'" He began yelling in Chinese, ignoring the knock at the door.

Jake shook his head and walked out of the back to get it. As he opened the door, he began the usual Lao Shi Electronics greeting. "Hey, welcome to Lao Shi's Electronics. Never had a customer, never had a—" His jaw dropped mid-greeting as he stared at the three kids at the door.

It was Danny Fenton! Jake thought he was going to faint, but gripped the door handle just in time. "Hey," Danny waved. "Is this where I'm supposed to meet Lao Shi?"

"Uh, yeah," Jake said. In reality, Danny was a lot plainer than Jake thought he'd be. He had a white t-shirt and jeans, with red tennis shoes. His hair was a little messy, no discernable style to it at all, and he was of medium build.

Jake cast a quick look to the other two before going inside to get Lao Shi. The girl was obviously Goth, with black hair and dark lipstick, even down to the heavy black boots. The other boy was, without question, a techno-geek. He even had a PDA in his hand, staring at it like it was his brain-child or something.

"Yeah," Jake said as he turned, "Come on in. I don't know if you can hear him, but he's just back here, yelling at us."

"Yeah," the girl said, "We heard."

The four of them walked into the back to hear Lao Shi still screaming at the top of his lungs. "Okay," Danny yelled, plugging his ears. "Awkward time to come in!"

"Nah, he does this whenever he's mad," Jake yelled back. "You'll get used to it."

It was a few more seconds before Lao Shi turned around and stopped, mid-yell, to look at Danny. Then, to everybody's surprise, he leapt forth and started shaking Danny's hand so hard that it was a blur. "Oh! Danny Phantom! What an honour to meet you! I have followed all of your adventures, and have dreamed of meeting you."

Jake leaned over and whispered to Sam and Tucker. "Okay you two, get this: he was yelling at US for being excited to see Danny, and now he's shaking him like a jackhammer!"

By the time Danny managed to pull his hand away, it was numb, and he was a little woozy from the shaking. Stopping the old man from going any farther, he yelled, "Whoa, whoa, hold on sir! Ow, my head is throbbing like a drum!"

Jake led Danny to a seat and set him down. "Don't worry about it, that's about as bad as it gets." He looked at his grandfather amusedly. "And you were yelling at US because WE were excited? You almost drilled a hole in the floor with him."

Lao Shi was about to retort, but bit it back as he saw the other two. He cocked his head. "Can I help you?"

Sam stepped forward, mentally berating herself for not introducing them before. "Sorry sir, my name is Sam, Sam Manson. Mister Beret over here is Tucker Foley. Danny asked us to come along."

Trixie walked up and cast a weather eye over Sam. "Mmhmm, I like you girl. Alright, so your style could use some work, but you a good one!"

Sam shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or insulted by Trixie's comment, so she just shrugged it off.

"And where will you two be staying?" Lao Shi asked, ignoring Trixie's interruption.

Sam and Tucker looked at each other. They hadn't thought of that.

Before either of them could open their mouths, Trixie walked up and put an arm around Sam. "Girl, you staying with **me.** Goths are SO interesting!" Almost invisibly, she shot Jake a look that said, _I'll keep this one off your hands_.

Spud, on the other hand, took a minute to click in. "Yeah…but…" Before he could make any unwanted remarks, Trixie punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for!?"

"Hey," Tucker said, looking at Spud. "What if I stay at your place? Not to impose, but I think Jake will have his hands full with Danny." Spud blinked hard a few times, as if trying to process what Tucker had said, and then let out an exclamation, followed by a vigorous nodding of the head and shaking of the hand.

"I think he likes the idea," Tucker said, giving Danny the same look Trixie gave to Jake. Both leaders understood, and sent discrete winks to their friends.

* * *

Not long after, Danny and Jake were setting up Danny's stuff in the guest room.

"Hey, sorry you've gotta stay in the shoe room," Jake apologised, carrying a pile of shoe-boxes out. "I'd give you my room, but you look a little big for my bed." Danny laughed audibly, and decided not to make a comment on how short Jake was.

"Hey, I don't mind. If I need to, I'll just turn my nose intangible." Both of them chuckled at that. _This Jake kid doesn't seem too bad_, Danny thought, eyeing the Dragon-child up and down. _Heck, if he really is a Dragon, he would have no trouble taking out Plasmius or someone._ He went through a mental fight between the two, shuddering. _Okay, scratch that. He's never had experience with ghosts, so Skulker and the others would probably kick his butt._

Jake set the boxes down and turned to Danny. "Hey, after this, Gramps and I are going to take you to Magus Bazaar."

"Magus Bazaar?" Danny asked inquisitively. "What's that?"

Jake shrugged. "It's the big shopping spot for the magical community. I don't know about you, but a leprechaun in the mall doesn't exactly seem 'normal' to me." Danny found himself having to bite back another comment about the boy's shortness, as well as green-tinted hair.

Instead he smiled. "Well, I have an idea. What's say after we finish this, you fly with me? I know you fly most of the time, but you've never turned intangible before. It'll be a cool experience. And we won't have to hide from a lot of the people like you probably have to, dodging in between buildings and going over rooftops. It'll be fun!"

"Yeah! I always wondered what it would be like to go invisible and stuff!"

"But first," Danny sighed, "The room."

* * *

Danny was amazed at the magical marketplace. There were leprechauns, trolls, goblins, arachnae, and myriad other magical creatures. Everywhere he looked, there was a stand selling eye of newt, phoenix tails, dragon scales, and innumerable other magical ingredients. There were even some giants looking to buy bed dressing for fish!

"This is Magus Bazaar," Lao Shi announced. "It is a hotspot of magical shopping, a place where all magical creatures can meet." Danny, Sam, and Tucker were gazing around, stunned by the magical bazaar.

"And find a girlfriend, agagagoo!" Fu joked.

Lao Shi gave Fu a scathing look before returning to his explanation. "As you can see, all manner of magical creatures come here. They cannot usually go to the normal world; if they were ever seen by humans, such as Hans Rotwood, they run too much of a risk of getting captured."

"Yeah," Danny agreed, "I know some people who would die to get their hands on a unicorn or elf."

"Yes," Lao Shi said, "Which is why you must understand the trust which we are putting in you. You must never reveal the location of Magus Bazaar to ANYONE, do you understand?"

"Gramps, chill," Jake said, "Danny's cool. He won't tell nobody about this place, right?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Danny replied, shaking hi head. "I know what it's like to have to hide a secret…The first while that people found out I was a ghost, they wouldn't stop attacking me! Oh, no weapons," he said hastily, seeing the appalled looks on Jake and Lao Shi's faces, "They would just go at me with questions, and usually they would get mad because I'm half-ghost."

"Man," Jake mumbled, "I'd never want to reveal my identity." He remembered the press conference on television a few months back, and how Danny had fled from the cameras within half an hour. The young Dragon shook his head when he thought of how nasty some of the people's comments had been. "They'd try to pick me apart."

"The Guys in White tried to do just that," Danny brooded. "They still haven't given up on catching me, even though I beat them every time. Hmph, for feds, you'd think they'd learn their lesson."

"Right," Jake scoffed, "When anybody in authority actually learns from this stuff, I'll let you know. Oh, hey! We're at the ice cream place, The Scoop! I'm starved, what do you say we get some ice cream?" Jake walked in through a door and disappeared.

"The what?" Danny looked up at a building they were walking by. It was a big ice cream parlour, and even bigger on the inside. The place was littered with magical creatures of every shape and size, from giants and trolls, to elves, pixies, and unicorns!

"Whoa!" Danny gasped. "_This_ is an ice cream parlour? It's huge!"

Lao Shi and Fu walked up behind him. "It is the most popular place in Magus Bazaar, young ghost. Everybody likes the scoop, especially the leprechauns and elves. It's a place where people like to—how do you kids say it?—hang out."

Danny saw Jake fishing in his pockets at the counter, and gave some money to the clerk behind the desk. Danny's view was momentarily impeded by a troll walking past, and when it was clear again, he saw Jake come back with a tray of cones topped with vanilla ice cream. He set it down at an empty table, and all six of them set down to eating ice cream.

"Wow!" Sam exclaimed. "This ice cream is awesome, what do they make it with?"

"Oh, you know, milk from magical cows, sugar from magical sugar canes, and a sweetening spell or two to top it off," Fu replied, his mouth almost foaming with all the ice cream on it. "It's the best ice cream in town, and—" Fu's reflection was interrupted by a loud crash behind their booth. Smoke filled The Scoop as a gang of biker goblins busted in, riding up and down the walls and ceiling.

The entire place was pandemonium. People were screaming to get out, desperately wanting to get away from the spinning tires and vicious clubs. It didn't take Jake two seconds before he transformed into a Dragon.

He flew up, and grabbed what seemed to be the gang leader by the collar. Removing the club from the thrashing goblin's grasp, Jake turned him around and stared his straight in the eyes. "Alright, what's your deal? Why you coming in and wrecking up the pla—ugh!" A club connected with his back from behind, sending him flying out the door. Danny and the others rushed out to see if he was alright, but the red Dragon was already up and hovering. "Yo! Come out here and face me like the cowards you are!" Jake taunted.

"Maybe we shouldn't aggravate them," Tucker said, standing slightly behind Danny and giving his PDA a death grip.

Danny immediately changed to his ghost form. He floated alongside Jake, frowning at the goblins rushing out of the ice cram parlour. "Take 'em down?" Danny growled.

"Oh yeah…" Jake shot forward and blasted a fireball at a goblin coming out of The Scoop's busted doorway, sending the creature flying backwards. Danny quickly dodged away from the motorcycle's path and sent a neat ecto-blast towards another goblin, sending him and his bike crashing into a wall. He didn't see the club swinging from behind.

"Yo Danny, watch it!" Jake soared backwards and caught the club in his claws. Glaring hotly at the offending goblin, he said, "You know, hitting people from behind isn't very nice." He whacked the goblin into a garbage can with his tail, turning his attention to the lead goblin.

He was a little bigger than the rest, with a black leather jacket vice the brown ones of his underlings. He had spiked knee- and elbow-pads and a helmet that was not unlike that of the Red Baron in World War I.

"You trying to start a new fashion line with that get-up?" Jake mocked. "Because if you are, I think you're in the wrong century."

"Laugh while you can, Dragon," the goblin sneered, "You won't have a tongue to laugh with much longer." He turned his attention to Danny, who had just floated beside Jake. "And what's this, a ghost-child? How entertaining…do you think that a pre-pubescent child will do anything to me?"

"Pre-pubescent!?" Danny exclaimed, his pride hurt. "I have TOTALLY hit puberty!" He reached into his shirt and yanked out a hair. "See? I've got CHEST HAIR!"

Jake covered his face with his hand. _Oh boy_, he sighed. "Let's get this over with," Jake grumbled. "Either you leave, or Phantom and I will have to kick you and your gang's butts."

The goblin surveyed them carefully. He had more of his gang behind him, but a Dragon on its own would be difficult to beat, much less a Dragon and a ghost-child. "You haven't sent the last of us," the leader hissed, swinging his bike around. "We'll be back, and you won't be so lucky next time." The leader signalled to his crew and shot off down the streets, with the gang following closely.

In a burst of blue chi, Jake reverted to his human form. Danny did likewise, landing beside an upturned bike. "What was that all about?"

"They're goblins," Jake sighed, "They just destroy for fun." He looked up into the sky, and then down to his watch. "We'd better get back; it's almost nine o'clock, and we've got school tomorrow."

Danny made an audible groan. "School; how wonderful. Well, at least I won't be seeing Lancer anytime soon."

* * *

The entire class cringed at the sound of nails on the chalkboard. Professor Rotwood turned around and surveyed the sufferings of his class. He was about to roll off the instructions when the door flew open, and two boys came running in.

"Jake Long!" Rotwood yelled. Jake cringed at the evil look his teacher was throwing him and Danny. "How kind of you and your new friend to join us. You!" He suddenly whirled on Danny, pointing his finger at the unfortunate boy. "Who are you?"

"Er, Danny, sir," Danny said, sitting down in the front-centre desk with Jake.

Rotwood grabbed his attendance sheet and fingered down the names. "I don't see you on here, 'Danny.'"

"That's just because I'm in town for a little while, sir. I was told to go to the same classes as Jake."

"Well then, Danny, welcome to high school English! We will be studying mythological poetry for this part of the curriculum."

Jake leaned back and whispered to Trixie and Sam. "See, I told you he was out to get me! How did he get to stay here?" Trixie shrugged and Jake sat back, watching Rotwood give him another evil glare.

"Well, mister Long. Since you and Danny came late, you will have the distinct privilege of showing him and our new classmates around."

Jake's eyebrows shot up and he smiled. "You got it, sir."

"ENOUGH WITH YOUR AGREEING!" Rotwood screeched. "Turn to page two-hundred and sixty-three of your textbooks." Jake and the class let out an audible sigh as Rotwood started drilling them in mythological poetry.

* * *

The next week was an eventful one for both Team Phantom and Team Dragon (as Sam so christened Trixie, Spud, and Jake).

It took some practice, but it wasn't long before Danny was almost as skilled as Jake when fighting magical creatures. He'd even made progress with Lao Shi; the old man didn't leap on him and praise his feats whenever they were within a mile of each other.

The six had also made progress as friends. Spud was absolutely thrilled to have somebody else who he could be smart around, but even more thrilled when he found out Tucker could understand most of the things he would say when it came to technology. On the other hand, Tucker was amazed that Spud was as smart as he was, yet still as relaxed and off beat as a normal kid. No matter what he tried, he just couldn't get down the skater boy attitude (even if he had, Spud secretly promised himself to mention that it would never work).

Trixie and Sam had also become tighter. The two found out one thing they definitely had in common: caring for their friends above all else. Sam found herself talking about ways that her friends had idiotically risked their necks when there was a smarter choice, and Trixie found herself talking about how she had to talk Jake into taking a more moral path, rather than an easy one which presented itself. Pretty soon, their talks changed to how important it was to be an individual, and why each of them chose to be who they were.

Jake and Danny were a bit closer than their friends. Throughout the week, the two had been fighting as a team to keep the magical community under wraps. They learned to take advantage of each other's strengths: whereas Danny was far more oriented in his ghostly abilities, which often required little physical contact, Jake was more oriented in the physical areas. More often than not, the two would work to these advantages, with Jake throwing an opponent right into one of Danny's ecto-beams, or Danny blasting the enemies straight into Jake's melee range, a position nobody was too fond of being in.

The two found themselves patrolling the city, taking a turn near Pandarus towers, when a glowing blue beam cam out of nowhere and hit Jake hard on the chest, sending him flying into the building.

"A direct hit!"

Danny whirled around in mid-air, only to find none other than Vlad Masters, alias Plasmius. "Plasmius!?" Danny exclaimed, his mouth agape. "How did you get off that meteor?"

"Ah, Daniel, a pleasure as always. Forgive me, but **you** are not the reason I'm here. I'm here for that overgrown excuse for a lizard they call the American Dragon, though I'll be happy to…what do the kids say these days…'put a beat-down' on you, as well!" Plasmius grinned evilly and shot another ghost beam at Danny, who dodged it easily.

"Hey, yo!" Plasmius turned around to see a jet of flame erupt from the maw of Jake. He narrowly dodged it, and flew to the rear of Jake, who had just set himself beside Danny. "It's not cool to hit people without warning, you know; someone could get hurt."

Plasmius found himself laughing at the sight before him: a teenage halfa and a kid Dragon. The American Dragon would be easy, but he would have to be careful with Daniel; the ghost boy had beaten him harshly on more than one occasion.

"Well, it looks like I have my work cut out for me. What's say we get this over with, Dragon? I have an appointment with my beneficiary to go to, and I simply cannot be late."

"Yo, I'm all for that, let's do it!" Jake shot forward, ignoring Danny's vehement protest. Jake went to punch Plasmius, only to find the ghost turn intangible. The force Jake put behind the punch caused him to whirl uncontrollably through the air, and he had to work his wings hard to get himself upright. He turned around only to see Plasmius deal him a fierce blow to the gut, followed by a ghost beam that sent him flying onto the roof.

"Jake!" Danny cried. He flew after Jake, who had landed on the roof spread-eagled. Danny landed in front of his friend, and faced Plasmius, who had been about to deal a final blow with another ghost beam.

"Why Daniel," Vlad mocked, "This is touching! You mean to tell me you care for this young salamander?"

"That's my friend you're talking about," Danny gritted. Without any warning, he reared his head back and thrust it forward, emitting a ghostly wail that caught Vlad unawares. The blast sent Plasmius flying away, and he skidded to a stop on the top of Pandarus Towers. He looked up and received a stinging right hook, followed by a rapid jab to the gut and a ghost beam to the chest. Danny stood on the edge of the roof, his eyes set. "Had enough yet?"

Vlad pushed himself up from the wall he'd flown into. "Oh, don't you worry Daniel, I'll get you yet. But not today, no…I'll make your demise long and painful."

"Cut the clichés and get going, before I change my mind," Danny growled.

Plasmius cursed and flew away, heading back to wherever he came from. Danny turned around and flew back to the roof Jake had landed on, only to find his friend holding his head and massaging his gut.

"Oh man, what happened there," Jake grumbled.

"You tried to take on Vlad Plasmius and got your butt handed to you," Danny replied. He offered a hand and helped the heavy Dragon upright. "Let's head back; I've got something you may need."

* * *

Danny and company were loading their stuff back into their odd flying vehicle. Jake, Spud, Trixie, Lao Shi, and Fu were all there to help, carrying bags and helping to clean up a bit.

"Well," Danny said, casting a weather eye over the bags they had stored in the back (the majority of which were filled with magical objects from Magus Bazaar), "Looks like it's time to head back."

"We'll meet up again," Jake said, giving Danny a soft punch on the arm. "Just come back and visit every now and then, and maybe we'll head up there."

Danny laughed. "Yeah, you guys should come by the Fenton Works sometime, we'll show you a REAL good time in the Ghost Zone."

"Hey yo, don't be strangers!" Trixie called. "We'll see y'again soon, ya hear?"

"Word," Tucker said, winking at Trixie. Everybody stopped what they were doing and stared at Tucker. "What? I just thought I'd try it out…"

"Yeah, buddy, never again," Spud said, shaking his head. "You and gangster…they just don't mix."

Jake and Danny punched fists, and Jake walked out of the vehicle. When he touched ground, he turned around and watched the flying vehicle rise into the air. Jake found himself waving, and was even happier to see Danny wave back.

"That was awesome," Jake said, grinning.

* * *

**Jake**: Yo, that Danny kid is awesome!

**Hera Ledro:** I know; that's why I brought him in. Ah, speak of the devil.

**Danny**: Hey guys, how's it going?

**Hera Ledro**: Shouldn't you be heading to Amity Park now?

**Danny**: Yeah, but Sam and Tucker wanted to see the Empire State Building first, and I thought I'd drop by and hang out a bit.

**Jake**: Yo, we kicked that Plasmius guy's butt!

**Hera Ledro**: Well…more like Danny kicked his butt, and Plasmius kicked your butt. I laughed when you just flew at him; it was so stupidly hilarious.

**Jake**: …Shut it, Jon.

**Hera Ledro**: Now, now, let's not get too upset. Come on Jake, did you honestly think that you'd be able to fight a ghost one on one? You're a troll- and Huntsclan-fighter, not a ghost-exterminator

**Danny**: You mean ghosterminator?

**Hera Ledro: **…Not funny, Danny. Bad, BAD pun.

**Danny**: What? If we ever make a movie for my show, what do you say we have Arnold Schwarzenegger play Plasmius?

**Jake:** Danny…just…stop…

**Hera Ledro**: Well…to put an end to this randomness, be on the lookout for the next chapter. Also, in the future, count on a highly-anticipated ADJL/KP crossover!

**Rose**: Hey, where was I in this chapter?

**Hera Ledro**: You were in Boston…with your parents…visiting your REAL uncle…like I said…

**Rose**: Oh…

**Hera Ledro**: See you next time readers! Oh! And despite what it may have seemed at first, NO Trixie did NOT 'like' Sam that way!

Author's Note

I want to put forth that this season will be mixed with a fair number of crossovers. The next crossover, though not necessarily the next episode, will be a crossover between _American Dragon: Jake Long_ and _Biker Mice From Mars_.

Author's Note II

I want to apologise for the ungodly delay in this update. Life has been, to say the least, hell lately, and I have not had a lot of time to work on this. But, here it is. It's shorter than I originally intended, but I think it's not bad (except that battle at the end; I really think I could have improved on that bit).

AND PLEASE PEOPLE, REVIEW ME! I'm VERY disappointed in the lack of reviews! Even if you don't like it, I don't care, just phrase your disliking appropriately and tell me WHY you don't like it. I can't change it and make things you like without knowing what it is you want!


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